ChatGPT and Meta Platforms Face Massive Global Disruption
Recently, a major outage took out OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Meta's Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram platforms on December 12. Accessibility issues bothered millions of users worldwide, including in the UK, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and the US. The outages had been swiftly fixed by OpenAI as well as Meta, for now.
ChatGPT Faces a Prolonged Disruption
ChatGPT, the popular chatbot from OpenAI, went down for nearly three hours. Users attempting to log into the platform around 7:At 00 PM ET (5:30 PM IST) were met with error messages saying that the service was unavailable. Beyond ChatGPT, this also disrupted API used by developers, OpenAI, and Sora, another AI-powered service.
Acknowledging the issue, OpenAI posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), stating: “We're experiencing an outage right now. We have identified the issue and are working to roll out a fix. Sorry, and we'll keep you updated!” OpenAI later confirmed that services had been successfully restored.
Meta Platforms Also Hit by Service Interruptions
Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, began encountering issues around 6 PM GMT on Wednesday. Downdetector reported that over 22,000 users faced problems with Facebook, while more than 18,000 reported issues with WhatsApp. Users reported a variety of problems, ranging from complete inaccessibility to difficulties refreshing feeds.
Meta acknowledged the disruption and shared an update on X, stating: “Thanks for bearing with us! We're 99% of the way there - just doing some last checks. We apologize to those who've been affected by the outage.” WhatsApp and Instagram also confirmed their restoration through X, posting: “And we're back happily chatting!” and “And we're back - sorry for the wait, and thanks for bearing with us,” respectively.
Unclear Causes Spark Speculation
Meta‘s platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram started seeing problems at around 6 PM GMT on December 11. More than 22,000 users faced issues with Facebook and 18,000 users faced problems with WhatsApp, Downdetector said. Users reported a myriad of problems ranging from complete inaccessibility to difficulties refreshing feeds.
Open AI and Meta have yet to explain what exactly caused their outages. Meanwhile, OpenAI said it had seen the issue and gave no other details. The increase in server traffic may have overwhelmed the system due to OpenAI's integration into iOS 18.2, according to TechCrunch.
Analysts said for Meta a disruption could even arise from a ‘single point of failure’, meaning they all fail at once. That year, another similar major outage caused Meta's platforms to be offline for nearly six hours, showcasing how interconnected systems can leave platforms exposed.
But Questions Remain as Services are Restored
Millions of users have rejoiced as both companies have worked to restore their services. However, the lack of transparent reasons regarding the cause presents room for speculation over maintaining the smooth working of global digital platforms.